rechnenvsreichtenConfusable pair

Which to use

“rechnen” and “reichten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,262
“rechnen” frequency rank
#16,527
“reichten” frequency rank
18789
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rechnen reichten
Definition Zahlen logisch verknüpfen, Mathematik anwenden 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs reichen

Where the eye mixes rechnen and reichten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. rechnen runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against reichten's 8 (CVVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
rechnen
8 ch
reichten

Why the eye confuses rechnen with reichten

A purely visual mix-up. rechnen ([ˈʁɛçnən]) and reichten ([ˈʁaɪ̯çtn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rechnen is recorded at frequency rank #2,262, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɛçnən]. reichten is at rank #16,527, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯çtn̩].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 18789, this pair ranks #1,914,912 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of rechnen vs reichten

Shared letters: cehnr. Private to "rechnen": -. Private to "reichten": it.

"rechnen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "reichten" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • rechnen ← erchnen · rcehnen · recchnen · rechenn · rechhnen · rechnenn · rechnne · rechnnen
  • reichten ← recihten · reicchten · reichetn · reichhten · reichtenn · reichtne · reichtten · reicthen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rechnen" and "reichten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁɛçnən] versus [ˈʁaɪ̯çtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rechnen" or "reichten"?
"rechnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,262 in our German list, against #16,527 for "reichten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "rechnen" and "reichten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "rechnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "reichten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,914,912 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "rechnen" and "reichten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reichten vs reinsten". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,914,912 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list